Educational Science

Teens use HIV prevention meds way more if they get these simple interventions

Teens and young adults often don't use HIV-prevention medications known as PrEP, even when they could benefit from these drugs. But a few simple strategies, including telehealth coaching appointments and automated text messages, can dramatically boost usage in this group, a new study finds. The nearly 900 young people in...

We could end the AIDS epidemic in less than a decade. Here's how.

An HIV diagnosis hasn't been a death sentence for years, thanks to powerful medications. Despite incredible progress, however, HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) remains a global public health threat, with 1.3 million new infections and around half that many deaths in 2022 alone. While new HIV infections have dropped steadily since...

The seasonal flu shot is a yearly vaccine administered to protect against the flu, or influenza. In the United States, flu shots are recommended for everyone ages 6 months and older, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The flu can be a very serious illness, especially...

1918 influenza: The deadliest pandemic in history

In 1918, a strain of influenza known as Spanish flu caused a global pandemic, spreading rapidly and killing indiscriminately. Young, old, sick and otherwise-healthy people all became infected, and at least 10% of patients died. Estimates vary on the exact number of deaths caused by the disease, but it is...

Mysterious case of the 'Geneva patient,' the latest person in long-term remission from HIV, raises questions

A sixth person is in long-term remission from HIV following a stem cell transplant, scientists reported this week at a major HIV research conference — but the patient's case differs dramatically from earlier ones, and it cannot yet be explained. What has happened to me is wonderful and magical, the...

H5N1 bird flu strain strikes 1st person in US

An inmate of a Colorado state prison has become the first person in the U.S. to test positive for a strain of H5N1 bird flu that's currently spreading in birds around the world. The man, a prisoner at a state correctional facility in Delta County in western Colorado, tested positive...

1st woman given stem cell transplant to cure HIV is still virus-free 5 years later

A woman known as the New York patient received a stem cell transplant to cure her HIV, and now, she's been virus-free and off her HIV medication for about 30 months, researchers report. We're calling this a possible cure rather than a definitive cure — basically waiting on a longer...

How has Magic Johnson survived with HIV?

How has Magic Johnson survived with HIV? When the former professional basketball player was diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus in 1991, a lack of understanding and stigmatization surrounding the virus led to questions being raised over his future life prospects. However, thanks to advancements in antiretroviral drugs and management of...

People on HIV meds have 'almost zero' chance of spreading virus via sex once levels are low

People with HIV who take medication to suppress the virus can't transmit it through sex once its levels become undetectable in their blood, a new review of studies has confirmed. The researchers also revealed something that had never been definitively shown: Even those with low, but still detectable levels of...

You can now get a free at-home HIV test. Here's how.

People in the U.S. can now get a free at-home HIV test, thanks to a nationwide program that will distribute a million tests over the next five years. The program, called Together TakeMeHome, has partnered with the popular dating app Grindr to help spread the word to populations most affected...